A Beautiful Wedding: Reflections on Tolerance
This afternoon I officiated at the wedding of Anne and David. I have known Anne and her family for over 11 years. When her father passed away 8 years ago I sat with the family at the hospital for 14 hours and later officiated at his funeral. The entire family came to faith in Jesus Christ during the ministry of a former pastor of the church. Herb, Grace and their four children (including Anne) were all baptized on the same Sunday morning.
Anne and David chose to be married in front of the Byodo-In Temple in Valley of the Temples, Kaneohe. The temple is a beautiful exact replica of a historic and ancient Buddhist temple in Uji, Japan. It stands, surrounded by a carp-filled pond and lush trees and shrubs, against the backdrop of the sheer Pali cliffs.
I do not normally take pictures at the weddings I perform but today's was an exception. Both before and after the ceremony I snapped photos of the bride and groom, the temple and grounds.
For some reason I did not feel uncomfortable performing a Christian wedding on the grounds of a Buddhist temple. Buddha has long since past from the earth but Jesus remains, risen and alive in all his ascended glory. All things are his by right and even the things commonly called "pagan" can be transformed into something holy when they are offered to him and used for a good and pleasing purpose. (see I Corinthians 8:4-6)
Out of courtesy to those of the Buddhist faith we showed proper respect for their beliefs and traditions as well as the precincts of the temple and grounds. One does not need to either worship or believe in something in order to show respect. It was God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, risen and present by his Holy Spirit who was worshipped, praised and glorified today.
As followers of Jesus we must always respect the beliefs of others whether we are a majority or a minority of the population. Our faith is never to be imposed on others for God has given each of us the freedom to either love and serve him or to turn elsewhere for meaning and purpose in our lives. We are called to live in peace with all people and, if the Buddhists are kind enough to allow us to celebrate Christian marriage on their property. then we can and should be grateful to them for the tolerance and respect they have shown to us.
Certainly there are those who's beliefs and practices may be destructive of the God-given rights and freedoms of others. Such beliefs may serve to erode the social order that allows us to live in peace with one another. Such peace is to be highly valued and, ironically, is worth fighting for to preserve, even at the cost of limiting the freedoms of those who would weaken it.
This respect and toleration of others is a fundamental tenet of the Christian faith (which has not always been lived out very well when Christianity and "Christendom" have formed unholy historical alliances in the past.)
We are glad to share this same understanding of tolerance with our Jewish brothers and sisters as well as most Buddhists and Hindu. Islam, however, is more complex insofar as it affirms peace and tolerance when a minority but expects Islamic "law" to be enforced over everyone when becoming a majority of the population.
Some have said, "It doesn't matter what you believe. All faiths lead us in the same direction towards the same destination. Like different rivers flowing into the same ocean."
Nonsense! In most Muslim countries neither Buddhists nor Christians could have enjoyed today's events in the open, public way we did this afternoon.
The retired Buddhist Bishop who oversees the Byodo-In Temple and grounds spoke words of blessing on the wedding party as we processed passed where he was standing. I quietly offered a blessing for him in return. It was, after all, Jesus himself who said, "Those who are not against us are for us." Amen.
Anne and David chose to be married in front of the Byodo-In Temple in Valley of the Temples, Kaneohe. The temple is a beautiful exact replica of a historic and ancient Buddhist temple in Uji, Japan. It stands, surrounded by a carp-filled pond and lush trees and shrubs, against the backdrop of the sheer Pali cliffs.
I do not normally take pictures at the weddings I perform but today's was an exception. Both before and after the ceremony I snapped photos of the bride and groom, the temple and grounds.
For some reason I did not feel uncomfortable performing a Christian wedding on the grounds of a Buddhist temple. Buddha has long since past from the earth but Jesus remains, risen and alive in all his ascended glory. All things are his by right and even the things commonly called "pagan" can be transformed into something holy when they are offered to him and used for a good and pleasing purpose. (see I Corinthians 8:4-6)
Out of courtesy to those of the Buddhist faith we showed proper respect for their beliefs and traditions as well as the precincts of the temple and grounds. One does not need to either worship or believe in something in order to show respect. It was God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, risen and present by his Holy Spirit who was worshipped, praised and glorified today.
As followers of Jesus we must always respect the beliefs of others whether we are a majority or a minority of the population. Our faith is never to be imposed on others for God has given each of us the freedom to either love and serve him or to turn elsewhere for meaning and purpose in our lives. We are called to live in peace with all people and, if the Buddhists are kind enough to allow us to celebrate Christian marriage on their property. then we can and should be grateful to them for the tolerance and respect they have shown to us.
Certainly there are those who's beliefs and practices may be destructive of the God-given rights and freedoms of others. Such beliefs may serve to erode the social order that allows us to live in peace with one another. Such peace is to be highly valued and, ironically, is worth fighting for to preserve, even at the cost of limiting the freedoms of those who would weaken it.
This respect and toleration of others is a fundamental tenet of the Christian faith (which has not always been lived out very well when Christianity and "Christendom" have formed unholy historical alliances in the past.)
We are glad to share this same understanding of tolerance with our Jewish brothers and sisters as well as most Buddhists and Hindu. Islam, however, is more complex insofar as it affirms peace and tolerance when a minority but expects Islamic "law" to be enforced over everyone when becoming a majority of the population.
Some have said, "It doesn't matter what you believe. All faiths lead us in the same direction towards the same destination. Like different rivers flowing into the same ocean."
Nonsense! In most Muslim countries neither Buddhists nor Christians could have enjoyed today's events in the open, public way we did this afternoon.
The retired Buddhist Bishop who oversees the Byodo-In Temple and grounds spoke words of blessing on the wedding party as we processed passed where he was standing. I quietly offered a blessing for him in return. It was, after all, Jesus himself who said, "Those who are not against us are for us." Amen.
posted by Bird of Paradise at 11:47 PM
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